Cause and Effect
by sodamnSurreal
Summary: September of 1975, the Marauders have just started their fifth year at Hogwarts. Apart from schoolwork and pranking, the boys also a lot more on their plate. Meanwhile, studious Lily Evans and her friends pledge not to get distracted from schoolwork on OWLs year, but will the infamous Marauders allow them to?
1. Chapter 1

The scorching sun was penetrating her skin. The only thing she heard were her sharp intakes of air and the accompanying footsteps of her best friend as they ran on that hot day. Excitement and anticipation coursed through her body as her house came into view. Panting, they arrived at the door, but instead of bounding through it, she stopped abruptly in front it.

"You know what? I don't want to know if I got it or not, Sev, let's just head back—_" _she said with sudden panic before she was interrupted.

"No Lily," stated her best friend in a crouched position, still panting heavily. "You made me run here all the way from the lake. Now you go through that door."

"But –"

"_Go in_."

"Fine."

"Wait!" he grabbed her arm before she could open the door and whispered. "Is your sister home?"

"No, she's at her stupid home management class." She answered.

"Okay, _now_ you can go in."

She swung the door open with a sigh and, sure enough, there was the small envelope with emerald writing, undoubtedly from Hogwarts.

"You open it, Severus, I'm too nervous." Lily said as she pushed him through the threshold.

"It's not such a big deal, Lily." Severus replied. He picked up the envelope between his thumb and forefinger as if it were contaminated and gave it a little shake. "Seems pretty empty to me anyways."

"Just open it!" she exclaimed.

"So bossy." He said with mock indignation as he tore open the envelope.

Lily just smirked and rolled her eyes in response.

"Let's see, _Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5_, _Defensive Magical Theory_ –" Severus began to read out from a single piece of paper.

"Never mind the book list!" she cried, tearing it from his hands. "Is there anything else inside the envelope?"

Severus looked into the envelope. After a few seconds he looked up at Lily, a sorry look on his face. "Lily, I'm sorry - "

Her heart sank to her stomach. She turned around to mask her disappointment. "It's fine, I knew I wasn't going to get it."

" – but it looks like you're going to be stuck with me in prefect duty too."

She whipped around and saw Severus sporting a cheeky grin and a gleaming Gryffindor prefect badge in one hand.

Lily shrieked and bounded into his arms. Severus tensed at the unexpected show of affection but put her arms around anyways.

"Congratulations, Lily. You deserve it." He whispered into her hair.

Lily, oblivious to this little gesture, pulls away from him with an enormous smile across her face. "I knew I was going to get it, Severus, I just knew it. This is going to be a great year, I can just feel it."

Severus couldn't help but smile at her unbridled excitement. He watched her emerald eyes shine as she started musing at the following school year, and once again, the feeling came again. That feeling that he had to have her, or else he wouldn't know what to do with himself. He found himself much more vulnerable to it in the last year, when many boys (including older ones) started noticing Lily and her unconventional beauty. But there was one boy in specific that made Severus feel exceptionally paranoid.

With his Quidditch title, good looks, and popular posse, James Potter posed the biggest threat to Severus Snape when it came to Lily Evans. It was no news that James fancied Lily, but with every look, wink and whisper that he gave her, Severus found himself increasingly worried that someday Lily might wake up infatuated with the black haired Chaser and fall into his arms.

But then he remembered that Lily's definition of Potter consisted of "arrogant toe-rag," and he calmed down a little. But not enough.

"Helloooooo!" Lily said waving her hands in front of his face, breaking him out of his reverie. "You had this glazed look in your eyes, I thought you might pass out."

"Sorry, I was just thinking about what you were saying…" Severus said.

"I know, it got completely out of hand, right?" Lily asked, continuing the conversation.

He just chuckled awkwardly and nodded with his head, since he had no idea to what she was going on about. "Err, what do you say if we head back to the lake now?"

"How about I race you there?" she proposed.

She is off and running again, still clutching her prefect badge, before Severus has the chance to protest.

* * *

It was a cloudy and humid day in London. It definitely gave the atmosphere for the sad parents bidding goodbye to their children, yet young excitement was crackling in the air, as it always was on the first day of September in Platform 9^3/4. Remus Lupin thought his mother would be accustomed to saying goodbye to him every year, but he was proven wrong.

"My little Remus!" She cried, crushing him against her chest. "You need to write every week, especially after every you-know-what."

Remus mouthed the last part of that sentence in unison. It had become a tagline of sorts for his mother.

"We're proud of you, son," said his father, John Lupin, slapping him on the shoulder. Ever since Remus had been bitten, his father kept the affectionate moments to a minimum. Remus knew his father took complete blame for the incident, but sometimes he just wished that they could just move past it, and have the relationship they had before. Yet, he knew this was unlikely.

"Now, don't do anything stupid and lose that badge." John said, pointing to the shiny badge on Remus' chest.

"I won't, Dad." Was all Remus could manage to say.

The conversation fell silent and Remus took this as his cue to get on the train. His father gestured to help him mount his luggage on the train, but stood there awkwardly when he saw that Remus lifted it with ease.

"You take care of yourselves." Remus called from inside the train. It finally began to move forward, inching away from his parents. He took the fleeting opportunity to tell them what he knew he should more often. "I love you both!"

His mother broke into a fresh bout of tears while his father donned a sad smile. Within a few seconds, they were only tiny specs in Remus' eyes. Time to find the lads.

Remus lagged his suitcase down the corridor, headed towards his and the boys' usual compartment. Too immersed in his thoughts, he didn't realize someone was calling him from behind.

"Remus!"

He looked over his shoulder to find a petite blonde girl, dressed in jeans and a pink jumper. Suddenly, he had trouble with his words. "H-hi, Mary-Germaine, so good to see you! Erm, how was your, erm, summer like?"

Marie-Germaine Kiffney was a fourth-year with whom Remus had taken Arithmancy last year. She looked the part of being that typical girl only concerned with her appearance, yet her grades said different. She was one of the smartest girls Remus had met, and over endless hours of class with Professor Vector, he developed a crush of sorts on her. Much to his friends' teasing.

"Oh, it was wonderful!" She chirped. "Will you be taking Arithmancy again this year?"

"Oh, well, erm, I'm not quite sure. I'm considering it, of course." He lied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You should. It was much more bearable having you around."

If Remus weren't so concentrated on her bulging blue eyes, he would have picked up on her flirtatious tone. To her dismay, he didn't. "Well, Professor Vector can be quite a hassle sometimes." He replied lamely.

"If it isn't our own little Remus, _mooning_ over Ms. Kiffney," said an all too familiar voice, along with a slap to his back. "You'll have to forgive him, Marie-G, he's become a bit socially awkward over such a long summer."

"Nice to see you too, James, mate."

Marie-Germaine, clearly uncomfortable with the comment the Potter male had made, cleared her throat. "Well, I guess I should get going to my compartment. I'll see you around, Remus…you too, James."

Remus watched her slowly retreat from him. "Thanks mate, you really helped out on that one."

Remus' sarcasm flew right above the black-haired, Gryffindor Chaser's head. "Anytime, mate. You know I'm your wingman."

The Lupin boy just rolled his eyes. "Where are Sirius and Peter?"

"Sirius went out to plan the first prank on the Slytherins, he needed Peter as bait. They should be back soon."

"James Potter is missing out on the first prank of fifth year? Someone call the _Daily Prophet_!" Remus exclaimed.

"Oh Remus, mate, you are a true comedian, but I am actually looking for...something and cannot stay here dillydallying." James stated.

"If I guessed correctly, that 'something' you are looking for is sitting two compartments down."

"Let's have a look, shall we?"

The two boys approached the doors of a wide compartment and swung open the doors, revealing a bevy of fifth-year females. Mary MacDonald, Marlene McKinnon, Emmeline Vance, Alice Bryant and Lily Evans abruptly stopped their conversation at the sudden arrival of the two Gryffindor boys.

"Hello ladies." James said suggestively, a tone that he had managed to master over the last two years. Only a few weak responses were returned, the redhead remaining adamantly silent.

"How were your summers?" Remus asked in a warmer tone, to get rid of the tension built up in the small space. All five girls smiled amiably and responded that they had a good summer.

But it was no use. "How was your summer, Lily?" James asked, his hazel eyes zeroing in on her.

The redhead snapped her green eyes to look at James, then flipped her hair over her shoulder to conceal her face. "It was very well, Potter, thank you for asking." She said dryly.

"I see you got a pleasant surprise during it." He said, pointing to the shiny badge on her chest.

"Oh, that's true, Remus did you—" She answered her own question when she looked up and saw the identical badge gleaming on his chest.

"I did. Looks like we're going to be working together a lot." he replied.

She grinned and stood up. "I don't mind, I know you do your part. Speaking of which, we should get going to the prefect reunion."

"Oh, wait for me." Emmeline said, her own Ravenclaw badge catching the light streaming through the window. Marlene, Mary and Alice bid goodbye to their busy friends and continued their conversation exactly where they had left off.

Remus and Emmeline led the way, Lily pushing past James without another word. He followed them anyways. "Wait, where are you guys going?" he asked, worried.

"To the prefects reunion." Remus said as if his friend were retarded.

"But, you're going over to the Slytherins' side of the train…"

"Yes, the Head Boy is a Slytherin, so we have to hold it there." Emmeline explained slowly, using the same tone as Remus.

"Well…If I were you guys, I wouldn't go in there…" James said.

"Oh, Potter please, we don't have time for these shenanigans." Lily declared.

Just as she was about to open the door, an explosion was heard from the other side. A brownish fog seeped from the bottom of the door and suddenly screams were heard. The door opened abruptly releasing gagging and coughing Slytherins, bringing along with them a smell strangely familiar to dragon dung. Finally, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew emerged both using a Bubble-Head Charm, clutching their sides from laughing. Fifth year had officially begun.


	2. Chapter 2

They had just finished stuffing their faces at the Welcoming Feast, and the Marauders entered their new fifth-year dormitory, Peter flopping facedown on his four-poster bed.

"It's so good to be home," Sirius said, casually lounging on his own bed.

Remus exhaled what seemed to be a mixture of exhaustion and relief. He went over towards the window and looked out in the direction of the Whomping Willow. "It is."

James remained standing, leaning against one of the posts of his bed with his hands in his pockets. "Remus, how soon is the next full moon?"

Remus turned around and looked at him curiously. "This Friday. Why?"

"I've figured it out, lads." James said.

"Figured what out?" Peter asked, his voice muffled by his pillow.

"Why we've never been able to transform before."

All three heads whipped around to look at him.

"You mean, you've found out what we've been doing wrong for three years?" Remus asked slowly.

"Yeah." James answered nonchalantly.

"Well, come on, what are we waiting for? Spit it out and let's do this right now." Sirius said, hopping off his bed excitedly.

"No, we have to go somewhere bigger, you don't know what you'll transform into." Remus said wisely, already heading towards the door.

"Remus is right. Considering your temper, Sirius, you could transform into a Norwegian Ridgeback." James said, smirking teasingly at one of his best friends.

"Oh, that's rich coming from you, Potter." He responded, punching him on the arm.

The three fifteen-year olds were already out the threshold when James called "Oi, Peter! You coming?"

Peter who had lazily remained upside down on his bed twisted his face to look at his friends. "But…it's already afterhours."

"And when has _that_ ever stopped us?" Sirius asked and continued walking down the stairs.

Eventually, Peter sighed and hurried after his three best friends through the Gryffindor common room and into Hogwarts endless and unknown corridors.

* * *

"Filch, did you do some redecorating over the summer?" James asked, looking around the small office in mock amazement.

"I truly love what you've done to the place." Remus asserted.

"It's much more refreshing and…homey. Don't you think so, Pete?" Sirius commented.

"Has Mrs. Norris been gaining weight?" was Peter's answer.

The Hogwarts caretaker glared at the four Gryffindor boys with great resentment, caressing his hideous cat on his lap. "I thought you hooligans would at least give me one week before I had you here again."

"Filchy, we just love you so much." Sirius declared.

"We needed to see you as soon as we'd come back." James said.

"True story." Remus said, while Peter simply nodded mechanically.

Filch rolled his eyes and made a guttural sound he probably thought resembled scoffing. "You better be watch out, you lot, things are starting to change here at Hogwarts." He said menacingly.

"Oh really? Like the way they have been changing for the last four years?" James asked with feigned innocence.

"You better watch your mouth, Potter." Filch retorted. His beady eyes shifted onto Remus who sat next to James, and traced the large scar on his neck. "You better watch out too, Lupin. Don't go losing that prefect badge, eh."

"I wasn't planning to." Remus said curtly, only a faint trace of humour in his smirk.

"Get out of my office. All of you! I catch you again and I will relish the rest of the year when I can hang you by your toes in the Forbidden Forest!"

"Looking forward to it, Filchy!" Sirius called over his shoulder. Once he fell into step with his friends, he asked, "So, where are we going so he won't find us?"

"I don't know, he'll be checking our usual hideouts tonight to see if we've gone back." James said.

"We really need new hideouts." Peter grumbled.

"What we need is a way around Filch at night." James said.

Remus suddenly stopped in his tracks, crashing into Sirius who was walking a little way behind him. He had a 'Eureka!' look on his face, while Sirius grumbled and rubbed his arm. "I've got it! We need a map!"

* * *

Emmeline waited at the foot of the stairs the led up to the girls' dormitory in the airy Ravenclaw common room. She exhaled, exasperated, and glanced up the stairs again. "Alice," she called. "Hurry up! We're going to be late!"

On cue, her petit friend emerged, her shoulder length black hair bobbing behind her shoulders as she skipped down the stairs. "I'm here, no need to get all bossy." She said teasingly.

The two girls emerged from the common room and Emmeline heard a male voice cry "Finally!"

She turned around to see Frank Longbottom, sixth-year Gryffindor, smiling at Alice as she bounded into his arms. Emmeline turned away as they gave each other a passionate kiss. Normally, she would not have tolerated such public displays of affection, but since Frank and Alice had spent the entire summer without seeing each other, she let it pass. With Alice still clinging to his neck, Frank smiled and asked "All right, Emmeline?"

"Never better." She responded with a smile.

"Emmy, you don't mind if I walk on over to breakfast with Frank don't you?"

"Sure, not at all." She said. Once again, she let Alice and Frank have their moment considering they had spent two months, their only contact being by owl. The couple smiled at her and started walking, while Emmeline wandered off in another direction, completely alone. She walked past the portrait of the Fat Lady, hoping to run into Lily, Mary or Marlene on their way to breakfast. But she didn't; instead she ran into someone else.

"Well, well. If it isn't Little Miss Ravenclaw Prefect, Emmeline Vance." Said a smooth male voice behind her.

Emmeline didn't even have to turn her head to know who it was and groaned inwardly. "Black." She said as her form of greeting.

The boy with elegant black hair and mysterious grey eyes fell into step with her, even as she tried to quicken her pace to avoid him. _Damned long legs_, she thought.

"How was your summer, Vance? I reckon you missed me?" Sirius asked charmingly.

"Oh, Black, I had a wonderful summer! My morning would have been just as good had I not run into you, though." Emmeline answered dryly.

"Oh, Vance, I just love your sense of humour."

"Sadly, I can't say the same about yours."

"Come on, don't lie. I think that cheeky prank I played on old Flitwick last year was pretty hilarious."

"Well, that makes one of us." Emmeline said under her breath.

Finally, they were descending the Grand Staircase onto the Entrance Hall, the majestic doors of the Great Hall already visible. _Just a few more steps and I'm rid of him._ Emmeline thought.

"So, Vance, I have a proposition to make." Sirius said, surprisingly achieving a serious face.

"Don't waste your breath, I'll say no anyways." Emmeline replied bluntly.

Sirius ignored this and continued talking. "So, you see how Ravenclaws and Gryffindors normally take Potions together?"

Emmeline knew this was true, since she had been taking Potions with the Gryffindors since second year. Still, she shook her head. Either Sirius did not see this or chose to ignore it, saying "So I was thinking, since we're in OWL year and we get along _so_ well together, maybe we can be work partners for the year?"

They had reached the Great Hall by now, but the idea of working alongside Sirius Black for an entire year was so absurd to Emmeline that she actually started choking on her own saliva and shook her head fervently, causing a few heads to turn.

Sirius, whose serious expression melted away, was looking at her with amused eyes. "So, I take that as a yes?"

Emmeline shook her head harder and tried to croak out a "NO!"

"Done, I'll talk to Slughorn as soon as I see him." Sirius said cheerily. "Here's to an entire year of working together, Vance!"

Emmeline shifted her glaring eyes from the retreating figure of Sirius Black and onto her Gryffindor friends who stared at her with a mixture of confusion and horror, obviously having heard this last part. Emmeline gave her friends a miserable look and, for the first time in five years, really wished she didn't have Potions with the Gryffindors.

* * *

**Author's Note**: There you have it, chapter two! Kind of short (sorry!) but right now, I'm caught in the middle of exams, but as soon as I get on vacation, I'll try to update weekly and hopefully with more length. So tell me what you thought in the reviews: questions, comments, suggestions, anything! I'm all ears .xx


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